Peculiar
by missanna444
Summary: Jo/Professor Bhaer cuteness. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Miss March!" Mrs. Kirk yelled up the stairs. Jo had slept late, quite by accident, and was late to start the children's lessons.

"I'll be there in just a moment!" Jo called down, dressing as quickly as she could. She ran downstairs, two steps at a time, and into the kitchen where the children were likely eating breakfast. When she stumbled into the kitchen, however, the only one there was Mrs. Kirk.

"Don't worry, Miss March. Professor Bhaer took them to the park while you prepare their lessons for today." The older woman reassured her.

"Who is Professor Bhaer?" She asked, having only been there a week and terrible learning names.

"He's a nice man, I'm sure you'll meet him later."

And Jo did meet him later. That evening, Jo sat at the dinner table. There was only one other person there, a man who looked to be about thirty-five or so. The others who lived in the house were off doing whatever they did, whether it be working or not. Neither of the two at the table spoke for quite a while. Jo was lost in thought, wondering who the kind man could have been who had helped her that morning.

"You are Miss March, correct?" The man across from her said suddenly, jolting her from her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, yes, that's me." She said, looking at him.

"Ah! Good! I am Professor Bhaer, I took the children to the park today while you were busy." He explained. Her face turned a little red. She hadn't been busy, she'd been asleep. But she didn't correct him.

"You are? Oh! I was wondering who I was to thank, since I'd never met you before!" She smiled. "Now that I know who you are, well, thank you."

"You are quite welcome. They are lovely children, are they not?" He said.

"They are. I've never been a teacher before, goodness knows how they deal with me." She said with a light laugh. The professor smiled warmly.

"I am sure you are a fine teacher, though Mrs. Kirk tells me that you prefer to be- what did she call it?- an authoress." He said, now trying to strike up a conversation. Jo looked at him with interest. He had a funny sort of accent. German, perhaps? His English was good, though he seemed to be talking slowly to be sure he was understood.

"She told you that? Well, I suppose that's alright, it wasn't a secret… but yes, I am hoping to be an authoress. I spend my free time writer. I've sent things to publishers and newspapers, but all I've gotten so far is rejections." she shrugged.

"Ah, but that will motivate you to write better, yes?" Professor Bhaer asked. It was funny, he seemed genuinely interested. Most didn't like it when she rambled on about her writing.

"Yes, I suppose so. I'll try my hand at poetry, maybe. My little sister always says I'm a wonderful poet, even though I prefer to write stories." She said.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck, Miss March." He smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you, Professor. And, please, just call me Jo. I don't see the need for formality." She smiled.

"If you'd prefer it, Miss- Jo." He nodded. "I'll see you around, yes?"

She nodded. Long after she'd gone back to her room, she sat pondering the conversation. What a peculiar man… kind, yes, but peculiar.


	2. Chapter 2

A few weeks passed and a small friendship formed between Professor Bhaer and Jo. She often borrowed books from him, and then neglected to return them. By the next month, she had a stack of books in her room that weren't even hers, they were his. One evening, after dinner, he approached her.

"Miss March, I am looking for a book of mine. Do you happen to know where it might be?" He asked.

"I might've seen it somewhere. Which book?"

"The French poetry. It's the one with the red cover." He said, describing it. Jo's cheeks turned pink, for she knew exactly where it was.

"Yes, Professor, I know where it is. I'll go get it for you." She said and darted off to her room before he could ask any questions. Several minutes later, she stood in the doorway of Professor Bhaer's room. In her arms was a large stack of ten or eleven books. Her grey eyes could barely see over the top of the books. It was a good thing, for his slightly amused face would have made her blush. She never used to blush, but she seemed to always be fighting the tendency to when she was with him.

"Miss March!" He said, trying not to laugh. He quickly took some of the books from arms and began to put them on a shelf. "You liked these books, yes?"

"Oh yes! They were splendid! All of them seemed so… smart." She shook her head, trying to think of a better word.

"Scholarly? Pedantic? Erudite?" He offered. She smiled brightly, making her eyes light up with interest.

"Yes! Wonderful! Thank you for those wonderful words."

"Of course. Which book was your favorite?" He asked as she helped him put the books away.

"The French poetry." She admitted. "It was beautiful. Enlightening, really."

"Ah. Keep it, if you like." He said thoughtfully, knowing she would take care of it better than he.

"Really? Oh, I couldn't possibly…"

"Go ahead, Miss March. It is yours." He smiled. The brightness in her eyes transformed into some sort of joyful gratefulness.

"Thank you, Professor Bhaer. It means a lot." She smiled. And she was right. It did mean a lot. In her time in New York so far, she'd felt so alone and detached from home. But because of this small book he'd given to her, she felt less lonely. She had a friend now.

As the next week went by, she began to go to him for writing advice. For a man who only knew English as a second language, he knew a lot of interesting words that she didn't. He even taught her a smattering of German once in awhile. She frequently stopped by his room to show him whatever she might have been working on. It was good for her, to be working and to have a friend. She didn't worry as much about how things were at home. She was happy, much happier than she had been when she left Massachusetts.


End file.
